Which index were these disks arranged in? Windows will install its bootloader on 0 regardless of where you physically install the OS.
I like to keep OS disks self contained, and tend to completely remove other connected disks when conducting a new install. This is a must for Windows, I’ve not had a Linux distro place it’s bootloader in anything other than the OS destination.
FWIW, your UEFI is generally likely to reset with significant hardware changes (system memory, CPU). It’s generally fine with video card, disk and power supply swaps so long as it doesn’t boot into a stop code as a result.